Parenthood
by ScantronGrl
Summary: What kind of parents would Lucy and Natsu be and how will they handle the wrath of a two year old?A couple of one-shot blurbs, just for the fun of it - very short. Might add more chapters as they come up. One or two swear words, nothing heavy.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: It is the natural order of things for a parent to fall into a good cop or bad cop role.

- Also, I'm shamelessly hocking my two fanfics, _Poking a Sleeping Dragon _and _Tempting a Dragon. _Take a peek if you're interested!

DISCLAIMER: Mashima's characters with the exception of the kid.

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Big puppy eyes wouldn't release her from its gaze, but she was a hardened marshal. She could withstand anything he threw at her. The face scrunched up as tears pooled at the corners, the lip trembling ever so slightly. Below their feet was a shattered vase, completely melted and taken apart from the inside-out. The tears grew and spilled over, pink hair shook rapidly back and forth as he continued to stare at her.

"I don't believe you," she said firmly, as she crossed her arms over her round belly. Nonplused the little boy grunted and crossed his arms, dropping his act, seeing as it had no effect on her. Their battle of the wills, found throughout history in every parent-child relationship, was interrupted as the door burst open. Her partner waltzed in with a huge grin on his face as he threw his knapsack on the floor. Lucy frowned as the caked on mud scattered its way across the floor. Natsu ignored the daggers she was throwing with her eyes to squat down and extend his arms wide.

"Daddy's home!" he said with a huge grin. His son's face mirrored his own as he leapt straight for the outstretched arms with a loud shriek and smile. Natsu began throwing his son high into the air, before suddenly flipping him backwards over his head, quickly catching the boy by his feet. This antic was swiftly followed by a toss into the air again for more somersaults. The human juggling ball was nothing but a blur of pink hair, laughter rang out gleefully as the world began to spin rapidly. Finally, Natsu caught him, grinning proudly. The little one's eyes were spinning for a few more moments before he shook his head to clear it. Smiling, he raised his arms excitedly to demand yet another round. Lucy cleared her throat loudly and the boy instantly flinched and hunched forward, forgetting he was in trouble. He quickly flipped his metaphorical switch and turned his killer puppy eyes on his father, a little finger pointing accusingly at his mother across the room.

"Ah, is Mama being mean again?" said Natsu sympathetically as he knelt to eye-level with his son, affectionately rubbing his palm over the boy's head. "I feel for ya' man."

"Who's being mean?!" Lucy shouted, waving her arms around. Natsu grinned ear to ear and gracefully stood to look at his very pregnant wife.

"Ah, don't be mad, Lucy, especially now that your knight in shining armor is home." He approached quickly and swept her up in his arms as he showered her with kisses. "I missed you," he whispered. Lucy couldn't seem to hold out against his affections as she finally broke out into a smile. "I missed you too." He looked over her shoulder as he kissed her long and hard. Making eye contact with his son, he glanced at the boy's bedroom door. Taking the hint, he took off, making his getaway.

Suddenly, a flurry of feathers and blue fur swooped down from the beams above on the fugitive, holding the boy up by the back of his pants. Lucy smiled as she turned to the little perpetrator.

"Thanks Happy," she said as Natsu's jaw dropped.

"You traitor!"

"Twaytaw!" shouted the little boy, struggling to get back down. The cat shrugged with a grin.

"Lucy's scary when she's pregnant," he offered up as an excuse. Natsu immediately saw he was found out and tried to make a quick exit only to have his own pants being yanked up painfully by his lovely wife.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the guild?" he asked hopefully. He saw immediately that was not going to be an option. So much for a carefree return home.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Natsu is left at home with his two year old son. What's the worst that could happen?

DISCLAIMER: Mashima's.

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"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaah!" Inhale. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Check to see if someone is watching. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Argh! What do you want?!" cried the pink-haired father, at a complete loss. It was a trap when Lucy suggested she go to the store without their son. She knew this was going to happen! Sneaky vixen…

"Mamaaaaaa!" The miniature version of Natsu stood in the middle of the room as his father began pulling his hair, wracking his brain to figure out what had set the toddler off this time! "Bah!" the boy demanded as tears still lined his lower lids, attempting once again to convey what he wanted.

"What's bah? Speak it plainly boy!" he was answered with a ear-piercing screech and holler as his son ran up and started pulling insistently on his pants, while still saying, "Bah!" Natsu picked him up only to have his son wriggle around as if he wanted back down again.

"You just wanted up!" he said in exasperation as he set the toddler down only to have his short little legs lift amazingly high so as not to touch the ground. "So you want me to hold you?"

"Bah!" That demanding tone again… Natsu missed the days when he only slept, drank milk, and pooped. Trying to understand the foreign language of a two year old was more challenging than trying to decipher the script Levy studied.

"Ball?" The little one tilted his head as if contemplating the word and then frowned in discontent. The tears started again.

"Oh no… oh no no no no no…" The flood gates reopened. "Argh, Igneel! What do you want from me?" Natsu begged desperately. "Where is your mother?!"

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine as she reached for a radish in the produce section. Smiling, she shrugged and continued to merrily pick out some carrots to go with their soup that evening. It was so nice being able to shop at ones leisure instead of speeding to get in and out as quickly as possible before the little one starts screaming and crying. Yes… so very nice. Lucy thought maybe she would take her time looking at the eggs today.

"Look look look, Igneel! I'm a bear!" Natsu stood tall over his son with hands raised into a towering position. "Roar! I'm gonna get you! Roar!" Igneel's bottom lipped trembled and Natsu realized this was yet again, another big mistake. "No no no no no, don't cry! Look it's me! It's Daddy!" The lip did not stop trembling. Igneel sucked in a huge breath. Ugh, here it comes again…

"Waaaaaaah!" Natsu snatched the little boy up and sniffed his bottom, then automatically shifting the crying boy to pull back the diaper from the back, checking to see if there was a mess to clean up. Nothing. Ok, diaper's good to go. Maybe he was hungry, what time is it? Natsu looked at the wall clock and saw that perhaps his son was simply wanting his afternoon snack. What the hell was it that Lucy gave him again? Bouncing little Igneel on his hip, Natsu made his way into the kitchen, smiling at his son encouragingly as he reached into the cookie jar.

"Look what Daddy has for you!" he whipped out his hand to present him with a very large cookie. Igneel's eyes widened as drool began to run from the side of his mouth. Within seconds it was gone and Natsu was once again reminded that Igneel was most definitely his son. Pretty soon the little snot was wanting more, pointing demandingly towards another jar filled with candy. Rolling his eyes, Natsu complied. Anything to keep him quiet. He had been at it all afternoon. Igneel swallowed the candy whole and then immediately got distracted by something shiny. Taking the brief reprieve, Natsu began to dig around in the fridge, trying to find something to wash all of that food down. His arms were almost completely occupied with child and task at hand, failing to notice that the toddler had managed to grab hold of one of the kitchen knives.

"Where is it? Oh, there it is!" He pulled out a bottle of sugary, carbonated goodness and smiled in triumph. He immediately pulled up short as he found a very sharp, pointy object only mere inches away from his face. The dropped to the floor in an epic explosion.

"Ah! Igneel! No!" He snatched away the new toy and placed it as far away as possible as his son burst into another fit of terrible two's tantrums. Sighing, Natsu placed Igneel in a high chair and quickly turned to clean the mess up he had made with the spilled soda. Lucy was gonna kill him if she came home to this mess. Assuming his son was out of trouble, he turned his back only to hear a loud crashing sound. Spinning around he watched just as Igneel pulled with superhuman strength on the table cloth, covered in dishes and tableware.

"Noooooooooooo!" Igneel grinned victoriously as he pulled the rest of the cloth off of the table. Chaos reigned supreme. The ill-considered sugar Natsu had given Igneel was digesting and spreading throughout his tiny system. Natsu swung the toddler up out of the chair and placed him absently on his shoulders, instructing his son to hang on while he cleaned up the mess he made. Just as the fire dragon slayer was reaching for the broom, Igneel found his hold in his father's pink hair. Grabbing two huge fists full, he yanked as hard as he could with a shriek.

"Aaaaaah!" Fire erupted from Natsu's mouth, once again being rudely reminded that Igneel was insanely strong for such a small tyke. Seeing as his shoulders were not the best place for the rambunctious two year old, he quickly brought him back down to discover the once clean diaper was now completely full. To add insult to injury, Igneel let loose a terrible sound from his other end announcing that he was done filling it and the little shit had the gall to smile while he did it!

"Why you…" Natsu froze, sniffing the air as he realized he smelled smoke. Whirling around, he found that his earlier burst of fire had actually caught onto the kitchen drapes. "Ah!" He felt his eyeballs spring out as he looked quickly around for a way to put it out. Taking the broom that had been at hand earlier, he smacked at the small flames desperately before finally it went out, smoldering away still at the edges.

Igneel became very disgruntled with his heavy pants and pulled harshly on Natsu's scarf, nearly strangling his already bedraggled father. "Bah!"

"What is bah?!" Igneel reached up and pat his father gently on the cheek and gurgled merrily.

"Na bah bah drrrrr boo dah…" He chattered away happily as the sugar high quickly began to wear off. He yawned as his eyes drooped slightly. With a plop, the little pink head fell onto Natsu's shoulder, thumb inserted in mouth. He continued to babble, even in his half awake state. Suddenly, the smell of the diaper assaulted Natsu's nose yet again. Something needed to be done about that. Slowly making his way into the nursery, Natsu skillfully removed the offending cloth and disposed of it with practiced ease. Fortunately the sugar crash that Igneel was experiencing aided him in getting the little one into the crib without a fuss.

Slowly, Natsu backed out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. Glancing at the clock a new wave of panic hit him. Lucy would be home any minute. Moving at warp speed, he flew around the kitchen, washing, cleaning, sweeping and scrubbing. Upon finishing, he collapsed onto the couch with a groan. His moment of peace was immediately interrupted as the front door opened.

"I'm home!" Shooting back up, he put his finger over his lips.

"Shhhhh! Igneel is sleeping." Lucy smiled happily as she moved quietly into the kitchen, pleased with how spotless it was.

"You cleaned?" she said happily. Smiling, Natsu stood and joined her in the kitchen, helping to put the food away.

"You did marry an incredible man, did you not?" he said, all fatigue erased as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck affectionately. Lucy hummed and smiled. She paused and sniffed the air.

"Is something burning?" Natsu's eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder and found he had forgotten the drapes.

"Um, no, just your imagination." Lucy pulled away and looked around at the stovetop.

"No, I am positive something is burning." Sniffing around the stove, she continued to investigate. It wasn't until the drapes suddenly went back up in flames did she locate the source of the smell. Her earlier mood vanished as she swung her gaze back and forth between her husband and the drapes.

"Uh… welcome back home, honey!" he said sheepishly as he gave her a wobbly grin.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Be careful what you wish for...

Jun-Shang 88: The glories of parenthood is that you have no freaking idea what the toddler is saying. It could mean anything and in all honesty, half the time they have no idea what they are saying or wanting too. Thanks for reviewing!

DISCLAIMER: Mashima's except Igneel.

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"Do you think something's wrong with him?" whispered Natsu worriedly as he and his wife stared across the room at his son playing with blocks. Lucy put a hand up to stop any further discussion on the matter as she cradled their newborn daughter.

"Natsu, how many times do I have to tell you, he'll develop magic when he's ready. You can't rush these things," she whispered back as she gently rocked the new bundle. Rocking was a new motion Lucy did on a regular basis now, with or without a child in hand.

"Seriously though, maybe if I were to just singe his bottom a bit it'll jump start things…"

"You'll do…" Lucy started to yell, but quickly lowered her voice, not wanting to wake little Layla. "You'll do no such thing! Just wait, he's still only two and a half years old. I didn't start showing signs of magic until I was at least four or five." Natsu started to argue, but Lucy cut him off. "And until then, we'll wait _patiently_ and see. If he doesn't have magic, then he doesn't have magic. It's not the end of the world, Natsu." With that said, Lucy turned and made her way into the nursery, to put their daughter down in the crib.

Natsu let out a sigh and crossed his arms as he contemplated his son a few moments longer. He could always have Happy fly Igneel way into the sky and then drop him. Magic always seems to form out of necessity, at least in life endangering situations. He shook his head. Lucy would kill him if he did that. With another heavy sigh, he let his arms fall limply to his sides as he walked towards Igneel and crouched down next to him.

"Hey buddy, whatcha buildin'?" Igneel didn't even glance up as his eyes were knit together in a very serious expression. Whatever it was, it was a very important structure.

"Do you want to go with Daddy to the guild?" Natsu tried. The blocks were instantly forgotten.

"Yeth!" His little pink tongue stuck out in affirmation as he leaped rather forcefully into Natsu's arms. The little guy was strong, magic or no magic.

"Well then let's go!" Natsu cheered loudly. Suddenly the sound of the baby crying made him flinch.

"Natsu!" Lucy's voice roared from the nursery.

"Um, Igneel and I are going to the guild! Be back later!" To escape any possible mutilation, the dragon slayer bolted out the door carrying his son on his shoulders.

Igneel held onto tufts of his father's hair as they padded onward towards the guild. The miniature version of his father was always excited to go to the guild because it was never boring there. So far there weren't too many kids his age as he was oldest in the latest generation of Fairy Tail members, but despite that he still managed to get into loads of trouble and keep everyone on their toes.

Upon entering the guild hall, they were greeted by the usual clamor and cheers. Several members were waving at them as they approached the bar where Mira stood forever cleaning glasses and dishes.

"Oi Mira! One fire whisky and an apple juice!" called out Natsu. He plopped his son down on a bar stool next to him as he waited for their drinks. The women flocked in from all directions.

"Oh, Igneel, you've grown again!" said Lisanna sweetly as she chucked his chin a little.

"Big and strong, that's what he'll be," Erza said with a little blush and proud smile. The boy was practically one of her own she felt. Levy smiled over her own rounded belly as she ruffled his hair.

"Such a handsome boy," she said. Gajeel snorted from behind her as he wrapped a strong arm around her waist and placed a gentle hand on her belly, smiling lovingly at his solid script wife.

"But never as handsome as me though, right?" Levy rolled her eyes as she leaned way up to peck his cheek affectionately. Smiling she failed to answer him.

"Oi…" Gajeel exclaimed still waiting for her to deny it.

"Here you go, big boy," Mira said with a smile as she handed a juice cup to her youngest patron. With a squeal the juice was nearly half downed in one gulp.

"Whoa there buddy," Natsu cautioned, "You might wanna slow down there or else you'll get the…"

*hiccup* Suddenly the toddler was engulfed in a raging fireball.

"Whaaaa!" Natsu looked around desperately and grabbed a tankard of water, dumping it out on his son. The blaze went out with a nice sizzling sound. Igneel shook his head to clear the water from his eyes. After a moment of confusion he looked up and grinned, liking this new form of bath. Clapping and laughing he bounced in his seat as he stared up at everyone, despite their shocked expressions.

*hiccup* Boom, more flames began to dance and twirl around him. Igneel sat in the middle of it all laughing merrily along.

"Water! I need more water!" cried Natsu. Amazingly, there didn't seem to be any more within arms reach. Suddenly, from the shocked crowd, Natsu picked out Gray nearby. Snagging a firm hold of the ice mage's arm he yanked him forward and pulled back hard on the poor man's hair. Ice erupted forth to engulf little Igneel, instantly dousing the fire and melting away into a puddle on the floor.

"You flaming idiot! What are you doing?!" yelled Gray.

"Keeping my kid from setting on fire!"

"So I was the best choice for that?!"

"It worked, didn't it?!" The yelling fight would have continued if Levy had not stepped in with her stern looks.

"Would you two knock it off! I think you're losing the main point here…" She stood back and looked at little Igneel who was smiling at the rest of his juice. Everyone stared as well as the little boy attempted to take a drink only to… *hiccup* The cup disappeared into ash as the boy was surrounded yet again by a barrier of fire. With the sudden evaporation of said cup, Igneel was no longer smiling. The bottom lip began to tremble, even through the fire, Natsu could see the tears starting to form on the outer edges of his little eyes. Then the mouth began to gape open.

"Oh boy…" Natsu backed up on instinct, knowing somehow innately that this was not going to end well. "Everyone get down!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" The fire ballooned into a massive explosion, rocking the entire building as everyone dove for cover.

Lucy's ears perked up as she was struggling to rock their second into another quiet slumber. The explosion seemed to shake the rafters, forcing the infant into yet another bout of tears. Rolling her eyes heavenward, Lucy set about making a bottle in hopes of pacifying the little girl. She better not find out that had anything to do with Natsu, it sounded like it was coming from the guild.

Back at the guild, blackened and stunned faces trembled rapidly as they peeked out from behind whatever they could manage to jump over before the toddler exploded… literally.

Suddenly Jet pointed his finger in a panic.

"Look out! He's gonna do it again!" Everyone braced for impact as Igneel seemed to feel the rumbling in his tummy as it worked its way up and out of his mouth. It was rather anticlimactic as the sound of a little burp bounced around the hall. Giggling merrily at all of the funny faces, Igneel fumbled his way down off of the stool and turned to everyone with outstretched arms and the most adorable face one could ever have imagined.

*hiccup*

The fireball was mobile…

"Aaaaah!" the crowd of guild members took off as a unit as Igneel chased after them around and around in circles, thinking this was such a wonderful game of tag.

"Natsu!" yelled Gray over his shoulder desperately. "He's your kid! Do something!" The guild members all yelled in agreement. Natsu scratched his head as his son ran by him the second time and snatched him up. Fortunately for him, fire was not something to worry about, but it still didn't mean he could let his son run around like a walking flame torch.

"Igneel, calm down! You're gonna burn the place down!" Igneel giggled and squeezed his eyes shut as he began brewing a wonderful little gift for his father in the rear of his diapers. With much effort, whatever it was he was working on filled his pants and was topped off with a very loud passing of gas. The fire that had temporarily settled its way around the little boy spewed off behind him in a burst of flames, singeing several members who had been in the line of fire.

Juvia finally stepped forward and doused the father and son in water, putting out anymore flames. The room was filled with smoke and steam. Once it had all cleared, Natsu assessed the damage and looked at the worn out guild members. Igneel was babbling happily as he pointed at the bar where he had once sat with his father. One word came from his mouth.

"Juice!" Everyone's eyes bugged out as they beelined it for the door claiming there was much that needed to be done; missions, laundry, washing of hair. Natsu was left staring at the empty guild holding his son.

"Kiddo, we really need to get a handle on that." With a sigh of fatigue, Natsu grabbed a large tankard of water and began to walk their soaked forms home. With every few steps, Igneel let out another hiccup in his father's arms. Getting the hang of it quickly, Natsu instantly doused him with more water. This continued most of the way home and by the time they arrived the pink-haired dragon slayer could only fall through the doorway with a loud crash.

Lucy came running from the nursery carrying a crying baby, taking in the soaked and muddy pair and her messy floors.

"Natsu!"

*hiccup* *Boom* Lucy blinked away the smoke and soot as she stood staring at her son who had burst into flames.

"Guess what… Igneel can do magic…" Natsu fell into a near dead faint.

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A/N: **Please R&R!**


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry it's been so late here. Hopefully this will get the juices flowing to start another chapter or two on my other two Fairy Tail stories.

DISLCAIMER: not mine except the obvious.

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The house was filled with the usual shrieks, howls, and shouts of a midget banshee. Never mind the fact that little Layla was trying to sleep in the room next door. Or that his parents seemed to have melted into puddles of immovable mounds of goop. What was the big deal? The night was young and he still had energy aplenty.

He smiled giddily as he remembered their day at the zoo. It was nothing short of spectacular for the little boy as he frolicked in with his parents trailing behind him as they entered the place where the monkeys lived. His little sister had been resting quietly in her little hammock strewn across her mother's ample bosom. His father's pink head stood above the small family as he held hands with his adoring wife. They were perfect together, but little Igneel paid no mind. It was natural to see his parents together so lovingly. It was one of those things that many children take for granted and don't realize until it's too late that it is a blessing to have parents such as these. Igneel was more interested in finding the monkeys, but his father made it quite clear that if they were going to go to the zoo they needed to enjoy all of it, not just one part. Igneel was skeptical as he had overheard his father's excited gesticulations over the big cat section of the zoo. Just thinking about it made the little one want to roll his eyes.

Even as young as he was he saw that his father was sometimes more of a kid than he was. Igneel's short attention span was immediately riveted to a display of lizards. Beady eyes jerked from one direction to another as they lazily took in yet another day's worth of tourists and snotty nosed kids. Igneel pressed his up against the glass separating them and breathed deeply. His tongue darted out in an attempt to make some form of contact, smearing it all over the barrier. He had been at it for a good three minutes before his mother noticed his behavior.

"Igneel Jude Dragneel! Stop licking the glass!" Lucy groaned in the back of her head. Yet another sentence she had never thought she would utter to her son fell out of her mouth. It was quite a common thing now. "Stop throwing your sister. Don't set the cat on fire. Don't eat the pillows." These were all regular occurrences now.

"Lizaaaaad!" he squealed and pointed as he looked hopefully at his father, trying to get the same level excitement. But Natsu was too busy examining the directory, trying to find the big cat exhibit as quickly as possible. Needless to say, Igneel did not like being ignored. Grumpy now, Igneel stomped right up to his father's backside and blew out a stream of fire. Natsu howled and jumped three feet in the air as he fanned his smoldering pants. Other guests looked on with wide eyes as Natsu turned to look in bewilderment at his son.

"Igneel, what the…" Igneel frowned at his father and pointed insistently at the lizard that had casually walked away into the den.

"Lizaaaaad!" Igneel looked over his shoulder to make his point, wanting very badly for Natsu to see the exciting creature, but did a double take as he saw that it had disappeared from sight. Tears began to glitter as his bottom lip began to tremble. Lucy and Natsu saw it at the same time and exchanged a panicked look.

Before Igneel could burn the building to the ground, Natsu swept down and scooped his son into the air landing him perfectly on his shoulders, bouncing him nervously.

"Hey Igneel! Let's go look at the monkeys!" The lizard was forgotten instantly as Igneel grinned and drooled a little bit, clapping his hands. Natsu had gotten used to being covered in drool, poop, and spit-up over the last several years, having a little bit glop down on his head was no big deal. They quickly sped off for the aforementioned exhibit, Lucy right behind them. Their journey was briefly interrupted as Natsu's eye was caught by a cotton candy vendor. Without a second thought, he set Igneel on the ground for a brief moment to grab a couple fists full for the family. In that one second, the pink-haired scamp took off at a run, disappearing into the crowd.

Daddy was wasting time again. Igneel wanted desperately to see the monkeys, that's why they were there after all and the little boy wasn't much for waiting for slowpokes. Instead he had seen pictures of monkeys and arrows just ahead and he knew that meant that they couldn't be far. Smiling he rounded the next corner and was met with a fork in his path. Pursing his lips, he looked left and then right and then left again. Which way… which way… His little ear perked up slightly as he could vaguely hear the high pitched howls of the monkeys. With a squeal he bolted off in that direction, towards the outdoor enclosure.

By now, Lucy and Natsu were looking around desperately. How hard could it be to find a little pink head in a crowd? Apparently much harder than they thought. Lucy was in a nearly ready to lose it when a sudden scream was heard off down the corridors. She and her husband stopped their search to look at one another knowingly. Rolling their eyes, they took off at a dead run. The monkeys!

"Why weren't you watching him?!" Lucy lamented.

"Me?! What about you? It's not like you were busy doing anything!" Teeth were grinding next to him as he glanced down and saw that their daughter was attempting to root around. She was hungry apparently and Natsu knew he was going to probably pay for his comment later.

"I'm sure Igneel is fine!" said Natsu assuredly. Another scream came from around the corner. Natsu and Lucy followed it.

"It's not Igneel I'm worried about," mumbled Lucy as they made the last turn and were brought to a dead halt. A whole crowd of onlookers were looking on in horror as Igneel climbed his way up one of the trees housing an entire group of scared monkeys. He smiled and laughed as he moved forward ever higher, completely intent on playing with them. They were having none of it as they backed up further.

"Igneel!" cried Lucy as Natsu bolted forward and began to shove his way through the crowd.

"Outta my way! That's my boy up there!" With mammoth strength, people went flying in every direction as Natsu vaulted over the enclosed area's fence. Briefly he wondered how Igneel even managed to get in there. A shriek brought his attention back to his son as a branch snapped and fell. Despite this dangerous situation, high up in the tree, Igneel remained undeterred.

"Monkey! Monkey! Play!" He gurgled and clutched his hand into a fist, opening and closing it as he reached out towards his unwilling playmates, all of which were huddled on the branch furthest from him. By now his father was nearly there.

The branch is breaking!" some woman screamed. Natsu saw it was true. He wasn't going to make it! With a resounding snap the branch split, sending monkeys flying in every direction and little toddler falling into dead air. All sounds stopped, all time seemed to stop, two parents' hearts stopped. Lucy had enough sense to whip out her keys in her panicked state..

"Aries!"

"Wool Cushion!" A lovey pink woman-lamb popped up and spread her pink cloud of wool along the ground catching the falling boy in its soft arms. Natsu waded through all of the fluff to get to his son who had disappeared from sight. He sifted and searched and called as his wife anxiously waited behind him.

"Igneel! Where are you?" Natsu called as the wool began to clear away.

"Sumimasen!" cried Aries as she forced the cloud of wool away, revealing… nothing!

"Igneel?!" cried Lucy from behind the fence. Aries looked sheepish as usual as she pointed off in the distance just as a little pink head disappeared over a ridge.

"Sumimasen, I think he went that way." She disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared.

Those monkeys were going to play with him one way or another. Looking around carefully, he spotted a tail through a small crevice in the wall. Grinning, Igneel felt victory was imminent as he squeezed his way through the small hole that separated the monkeys and lions. Just as Natsu peeked over the ridge that his son had disappeared through a lion's roar could be heard and a loud ringing laughter. Natsu's eyes turned into saucers as he saw the tips of his son's sneakers flash over the top of the wall. Another roar ripped through the air. His son was in danger! A strength he reserved for battle flowed through him as he clenched his fist, fire wafting its way around the limb he prepared to bury through the barrier separating him from his son. Lucy saw it before anyone else and she covered her face briefly, feeling an oncoming headache already. An explosion rocked the zoo as dust and debris fell over in small bits. Natsu leaped forward and looked frantically back and forth. He heard Lucy shout out his name and point frantically to his right.

Natsu's eyes dilated as he saw his son reaching out to grab hold of a tooth that was resting in the open maws of the infuriated lion.

"Igneel!" With a battle cry, Natsu flew forward with his fiery fist and sent the lion hurling across the sky. Huffing and looking around anxiously for any further danger,and when none was found he swept down and scooped Igneel into his arms, giving him a shameless shower of hugs and kisses. Natsu's brief celebration of saving his son was cut short as the officials arrived with stern looks and crossed arms, each tapping their toes against the ground in agitation.

Back at home, the parents had fallen into a near dead faint as their son burst through the door, still filled with energy and carrying his new stuffed monkey. The animal had been given to them for free as long as they promised not to ever step foot on the premises ever again. Igneel didn't care. He had his monkey! As typically happens with a toddler, he lost interest in his new toy quickly and was soon pulling on his father's pant leg. He wanted to play and Daddy was ignoring him again! Disgruntled, Igneel took in a huge lung of air as he prepared to douse his father in fire for the second time that day.

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Off in the distance, Gray was just getting home from a long mission. The house had been dark since Juvia had been out on a long mission with Gajeel. He was looking forward to just flopping down and not moving for the rest of the week. Just as he was drifting off to sleep he felt a very long sigh from behind him. Pushing backwards he realized quickly that Juvia was in fact not gone on her mission. Smiling, he rolled over and snuggled into her furry warmth. Wait… furry?! Gray's arm shook as he reached over and flipped the bedside lamp on and was stunned to find himself staring into the feline eyes of a great big lion.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Somehow, deep in his heart, Gray knew Natsu had something to do with this.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Everyone stay safe during flu and cold season!

DISCLAIMER: Not mine except for the obvious.

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Wendy stepped out of the little boy's room with a delicate frown, closing the door firmly behind her. The two anxious parents stood outside waiting for her to say something.

"What is it? Why won't his fever go down?" Lucy asked with as much control as she could muster.

"Children tend to get sick and have high fevers, but given Igneel's background this one is of particular concern." Wendy had grown quite nicely into a blossoming young woman. She and Romeo had been dancing around one another for years now. They were the new hot item to gossip about and the latest targets of Mirajane's matchmaking endeavors despite their incredible stubbornness. The poor things. All of that didn't matter though, not right now anyway. Natsu's fist clenched down on itself. He hated it. He absolutely hated the fact that this was something he could not fight, blow away or crush into a million unrecognizable pieces. Watching your child whimper, moan, and toss and turn was horrible. Every parent dreads it, loathes it and all around tries to hide from it, but it is inevitable that one will face a rip roaring fever that is more persistent than flies on dung. Igneel refused to be held and comforted, but then would turn to immediately seek consolation in the arms of his parents. It was a constant battle. Medicine worked for only a short while before the fever burned it away. The parents had been up for three nights straight now and fatigue was showing. The little one had gone to stay with Levy and Gajeel as they were newly equipped with baby things to take care of an additional infant for a small period of time.

Wendy was about to say something before a pitiful cry wafted through the closed door behind her. Lucy looked at her apologetically as Wendy smiled and nodded in understanding. The young mother quickly moved through the door to gently rest herself next to her sweaty child. He was shivering uncontrollably.

"Mama, cold…" His lips trembled. Wendy closed the door behind her to give them some privacy. She turned then to the father who had yet to say a word.

"Natsu…"

"Is there nothing?" His eyes were smoldering as he looked her dead center in the eye. She felt nervous about telling him something he wouldn't like. Natsu would never hurt anyone especially a nakama, but he was known for doing irrational things when frustrated, which was exactly what he was at that very moment. Wendy gently gripped him just above the elbow and moved him confidingly away from the closed door. Her voice was low.

"This fever isn't a normal fever, Natsu." She felt his muscles ripple and tense. "You know about Ultear right?" Natsu's eyes widened. Of course he knew about her. The estranged daughter of Gray's master, Ur, thought she had been abandoned by her mother only to find out that she had been whisked away by an evil cult claiming to offer medical assistance but intent on honing her magic to their needs. The fever had been the effect of an overflow of power. Her little body was unable to take it. Nothing further was needed to be said. His son had too much power.

"What do we do?" he choked out through an amazingly tight throat. Wendy's hand dropped, relieved he had not gone running into the street and setting the whole block on fire.

"There's little we can do at this point. If we syphon power out of him it could damage his core. Medicine is inadequate at this point…"

"So you're telling me I can only sit back and watch him suffer?" Wendy tensed again. This might be a bit harder than she thought. She could only seem to muster a small nod of affirmation. It was as if all of the air in his lungs dissipated all at once. He collapsed into a nearby chair and rubbed his face with a calloused hand. "How long?" Settling herself down in the chair across from him she began to wring her hands together.

"It could be days, maybe even weeks. It's hard to say. There's no way to gauge his power levels." Natsu's eyes were shadowed by his hand as he took a deep steadying breath. His head also began to nod as if accepting this new bit of information.

"Then we wait." It was in moments like these that Wendy was amazed by the maturity parenthood had brought the fire dragon slayer. Natsu stood and paced a few times more before heading off towards his son's room. He stopped briefly to speak over his shoulder.

"Thank you Wendy. I think we'd like to be alone for a while. We will call you if there are any changes." Wendy could respect that. Slowly she stood and showed herself out.

Natsu stood gloomily by the door watching his wife hold their son lovingly, humming an old lullaby her own mother had sung to her when she was sick. The little tyke had finally drifted off into a fitful sleep. His little face was scrunched up in displeasure. His lips were swollen and pursed from the heat burning inside of him.

"Did Wendy leave?" Natsu nodded as he looked down at his sleeping son's face. "Did she say anything else?" Natsu hesitated for a moment and Lucy frowned gently. "Natsu Dragneel, don't you dare even think about lying to me," she whispered vehemently.

"What? I didn't even say anything yet." She lifted a finger and pointed at him, waving it around in small circles.

"You're doing that thing." She looked him up and down.

"What, what thing?" Natsu insisted his innocence.

"You're doing that thing you always do when you're contemplating a lie. You start rocking back and forth on your feet and then fiddle with something in your pocket." Natsu took note that he would have to watch for that in the future. With a sigh of defeat he knelt down on the floor in front of his seated wife.

"It's not an illness, it's a power thing." Lucy looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened in recognition.

"Like…" Natsu nodded already aware of what she was going to say and finished it for her.

"Ultear… yeah."

"What do we do?" Lucy asked exactly the same thing as Natsu had moments earlier.

"We wait." Lucy felt her chest seize up and it took her a moment to realize her lungs needed some encouragement to restart breathing. Her grip on little Igneel tightened involuntarily and he squirmed and whined in his sleep. She consciously forced herself to lighten her hold on him. She stiffened her lip and leaned into her husband who had come up to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

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Levy stood at the Dragneel residence knocking once, then twice. She had brought over a meal, knowing that the family had only recovered from that horrible illness very recently. She was sure that Lucy had little sleep to run on and neither of the parents had the energy to make a decent meal for themselves. Little Layla had already been sent back home to her delight. The baby had obviously missed her parents during her two day absence. Everyone was relieved to hear that Igneel had pulled through his fever, but no one had seen the family in days despite the reports of Igneel pulling through. It was of course understandable that they would be tired, but she was sure that by now they would all be well on their way to the road of healthy recovery.

The door flew open to reveal a disheveled man who looked to be Natsu. His hair was in disarray and his clothes had seen better days. She had never seen such huge bags under one's eyes before. The eyes above them were bloodshot and had yet to see any sleep. Behind him she heard shrieking, howling and Lucy practically ready to break down in a fit of sobs.

"Um, did I come at a bad time?" Natsu's eyes rolled around crazily as he spotted the casserole dish in her arms.

"Food!" He would have dove in right on the spot if Lucy hadn't walked up from behind with a spoon, banging it quite effectively on the back of his head. Levy was shocked to see that she was just as harrowed looking as her husband.

"Lucy! What's happened to you two?!" Levy couldn't even hide the surprise on her face and in her voice. "Isn't Igneel better?" Lucy licked her lips and smacked them together as if forcing her mind to create a coherent sentence.

"Oh, no he's better…" Natsu was standing and rubbing the tender spot on the back of his head.

"Did you have to do it so hard?" he whined. "Did you find him yet?" Lucy sighed in exasperation.

"No, I was too busy keeping you from attacking Levy," she snapped. Yep, they definitely were at the end of their ropes.

"Wait, find him?" Levy asked. "What do you mean find him?" Suddenly, as if on cue, a toddler came tumbling from above out of thin air, landing solidly on the unsuspecting heads of his parents. They all collapsed into a huge heap of limbs. Layla giggle and squealed as she crawled up and began pulling on Natsu's hair, then shoving some of it into her mouth. Drool dropped onto his forehead.

"Please shoot me. Please!" Natsu begged Levy.

"Not unless she shoots me first," grumbled Lucy.

"Can someone explain to me what's going on here? How did Igneel do that?!" Igneel smiled as he rolled around on top of his parents' prone backs. Slowly, Lucy disengaged from her family and stood up, dusting herself uselessly as she faced her friend.

"Apparently after the fever broke there were some added…" Igneel laughed, hiccupped and then vanished atop his father. Natsu seemed to sigh a bit in relief before his head rolled to the side, as if making to fall asleep right there. Lucy nudged him none too lightly with her foot.

"Come on, we have to get him back," she insisted. Natsu heaved himself up while picking his daughter up in the other arm.

"Are you sure? We can't just leave him there?" he said hopefully. Levy looked at them questioningly. A second later, a void opened up revealing a mystical world beyond. Out stepped Loke, looking amazingly haggard as well for a celestial spirit. In his arms, he held little Igneel smiling and bouncing as usual. Without a word, he dropped the child into his mother's arms, turned, and trudged back into the void only to have it close behind him. Levy's jaw hit the ground.

"Was that…" Lucy nodded. "So he's…" she nodded again. "B…but…"

"We don't know either, but apparently he can jump back and forth between the two worlds at random."

"Why can't we just leave him there?" whined Natsu as he placed his daughter in her high chair. The void split open instantly and Loke poked his head through angrily.

"Because he's YOUR kid! Do you have any idea what kind of stuff he's been doing over here? Half of the place is on fire!"

"Welcome to my world buddy!" Natsu howled back angrily. Lucy sighed heavily as she switched Igneel to her other hip. Reaching out she took the casserole dish from Levy.

"Thank you so much Levy for bringing this by. We really appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah no problem," Levy answered in a daze. "Um, well, I better get back home. Gajeel is probably wondering where I am…"

Lucy smiled tiredly and turned back to her own family. Levy stopped her for a moment.

"Hey Luce, is it that bad?" Levy asked nervously. The first real smile she had seen in a long time spread across her friend's face knowingly.

"I wouldn't trade it for the world, but may the gods have mercy on your soul when yours develops her magic as well." Levy swallowed audibly. A crash and the sound of Layla crying erupted from behind her and the smile was gone as Lucy closed the door firmly behind her.

Levy felt the pit of her stomach lurch. Her mind ran in circles. Gajeel's genes with hers all mixed into one little baby. She felt sweat on her forehead. What had she done?!

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A/N: I'm going to say what I've said to others. PROCREATE RESPONSIBLY! Only Parenthood would change perfectly sane people into the masochistic insane ones you find running after their little ones in the mall. Ask them and they'll hesitate, but most will say they don't regret it... (they may wanna skip this part of raising a kid, but all the same they don't regret it). **Please R&R!**


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